Bundle of Joy
by escalus01
Summary: All actions, no matter how necessary have consequences.  Some consequences are life-threatening, others are just as challenging but in a different way.
1. Oh Dear

**Disclaimer****:** I do not own Fate/stay Night.

**Warning: **This chapter contains mention of abortion. Neither the story nor the author support or endorse either side of the pro-life/pro-choice debate.

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><p>Chapter I – Oh, Dear<p>

Tohsaka Rin sat at the end of her bed staring at the thin, plastic strip in her hand, her view illuminated by the soft glow of the ceiling light, the little, blue patch seeming to stand out above all else. The truth the small item had revealed to her had made all conscious thought take a temporary leave of absence.

Her hand had begun to shake slightly and her grip on the thing was tight, so tight that her knuckles had begun to turn white. But she didn't notice, her mind was running slower than normal (or was it faster?) and all she could concentrate on was the plummeting sensation in the pit of her stomach.

She blinked, suddenly her mind snapped back to attention and she was able to think again. Okay first things first, she had to calm down and think things through, panicking wouldn't help. She tried to pierce past the nervous rush and nausea washing over her as she attempted to assemble her thoughts.

Firstly this was just a natural consequence of something that had been necessary at the time. They had been about to face the most powerful opponent in the war and their strategy had depended on it, there had been no other choice. Besides, it wasn't as though it had been unpleasant…well, not completely unpleasant.

She blushed and forced herself to take several deep breaths, she needed to calm down if she was going to keep her mind straight. Such thoughts could wait until later, after all they would serve her better in her dreams.

Okay back on topic, in retrospect she had been a little foolish to overlook the possibility, but she'd had more pressing matters on her mind. However now _that_ was in the past and she had to deal with those unforeseen complications.

She sighed, she had suspected it was something like this for the last couple of days, or she thought she had. She hadn't been able to come up with any other reason for why she had missed her last two periods or why she had started throwing up every other morning or why she randomly felt more tired than usual. Now that it had been confirmed and she shock had hit her like a freight train, she wondered whether she had actually believed her own conclusion. Judging from her temporary paralysis, she guessed not.

Still no matter how natural the consequence or how pleasant and necessary the act, the fact remained that the position she now found herself in was delicate but she would adapt and quickly.

She was Rin Tohsaka magus, holy-grail war victor (kind of), high-school idol and now apparently expectant mother.

She stood up and walk over to the mirror that rested on top of her dresser, throwing the plastic stick into a nearby waste-paper basket as she went. Her reflection looked pale, although she couldn't tell if it was because of her...condition or if it was the shock. Her eyes also had barely noticeable dark circles under them, she had had a couple of restless night as of late. Not to mention early mornings spent emptying her stomach into the toilet.

As she continued to gaze at her self in the mirror another thought occurred to her, she would have to tell Shirou.

Her stomach lurched at the thought and she could feel some of the panic trying to creep back into her mind, along with doubt, she crushed them both without hesitation. Of course she would tell Shirou! He deserved to know, this would effect his life too. The two of them had been seeing each other for the last couple of months and she was determined to continue keeping their relationship truthful.

Her stomach lurched again upon inadvertently reminding herself that their relationship was supposed to be a secret. Now, once people had worked it out, they would know it had been going longer.

She could hear it already, the student council president Issei Ryudo, would make a fuss out of it and probably accuse her of making herself this way on purpose in order to "trap" Shirou. It would be like something out of a corny television drama.

Without warning, another recycled plot-line from corny dramas involving teenage pregnancies, forced its way into her mind but she fought back. If Shirou didn't want to take responsibility, then she would sure as hell make him, but that wasn't likely to be her problem. In fact her problem was almost certainly going to be just the opposite; he was likely to start pushing himself.

Although she had made significant progress in helping him get rid of his martyr complex, sometimes he still took on too much. She would probably have to assure him that she was still capable of looking after herself. However that begged the question, how much was she supposed to expect from him?

She groaned and put a hand to her head, there was a lot she was going to have to think about herself before she told him. She was sure there were a few questions she hadn't even thought of yet and then there was Sakura...

Rin felt her heart temporarily stop beating as she thought of her sister. Oh Sakura, it was obvious to everyone except the boy himself that the girl had a crush on Shirou. It was one of the main reasons she had wanted to keep their relationship secret until they left for the Clock Tower.

She paused, there was another thing that thing that had been called into question, her plans for after high-school. In fact would she even be able to finish school? If she was going to be a mother, then the child would surely take up a large portion of her time and despite the house and its furnishings, the Tohsaka family wasn't actually that well off, she probably couldn't afford a regular babysitter. Not to mention that no matter how much she was idolised, after a few months she was not going to be able to hide it.

It was the middle of April now, they'd been back at school for less than a week, would she be able to make to the summer? People would definitely find out if she tried but that was probably inevitable at this point. Then again it's not like she would have to see any of them again anyway.

She spent the next couple of minutes staring at herself in the mirror and trying to think of all the problems likely to stem from this new development and how she would solve them.

Eventually however tiredness started to work its way into her mind and she was unable to prevent a large yawn. She crouched down and opened a draw to retrieve her pyjamas, sleep was what she needed. She'd just had a shock and she would be better able to work things through once she was well rested. Right?

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><p>Rest had done nothing. In fact it was possible that she felt worse than she did before she had gone to bed.<p>

Currently Rin was supporting her heavy head with hand, her elbow propped against the table. Her half-lidded eyes staring in the direction of the blackboard, she tried to take in the lecture her teacher was making. A valiant effort to be sure, but it was in vain, her mind insisted she had more important matters to be dealing with and she wasn't inclined to disagree.

The truth was last night she had actually gotten very little sleep, although not for lack of trying. At first it had gone well, she had changed into her nightclothes, snuggled down into her nice warm bed and allowed unconsciousness to soothe away all her worries. Then just as she was on the verge of sleep, a single word had propelled her straight back into full awareness.

Abortion.

That word had kept her awake for hours last night, as the arguments for and against duelled in her mind.

On the one hand, many would consider her too young. Being a mother was going to be hard and time-consuming and would likely put considerable strain on her studies as a magus. She also didn't know if she was capable of being a good mother. She would have to raise the child as the heir to the Tohsaka family, a path that was likely to be filled with hardship, was she capable of putting any child through that, let alone her own? True, she had trodden that same path but it had been made easier because she had chosen it herself.

On the other side of the debate, she would have to produce an heir at some point, why not now? Plus she had heard that sometimes if the operation went wrong it would leave the woman completely without the ability to reproduce, the risk was small, tiny but it was still there.

Then there was Shirou, what would he think? After all, the child was part of him too and if she was going to make him take responsibility, then shouldn't she allow him a say?

These arguments and others went back and forth inside her head for the better part of two hours keeping her awake. Finally a new thought entered her head, a memory really and her decision was made.

The memory was of the Einzbern girl, Ilyasviel. It had been one of the most sickening, horrific things she had ever seen. As she'd laid there the image of the child's broken, battered body lingered at the forefront of her mind. Eyeless, heartless a pool of blood forming from the oozing wound in her chest.

She knew it was stupid, that there was a difference between an abortion and _that_. But as she lay there she couldn't prevent herself from placing a hand on her stomach and curling up into a ball.

Unable to shake the vision from her mind's eye she knew her decision had been made.

She was snapped from her reverie by the shrill ringing of the bell, indicating the end of the school day. She stood, along with the rest of the class as they made their way towards the door.

The old man yelled something about homework but she didn't bother to pay attention, it wouldn't matter to her much longer. Would she even be able to make it to the summer holidays? If she tried everybody would surely notice, their in-built ability to ignore any of her flaws wouldn't be able to censor that.

She had waited for Shirou at the gates that morning and whispered her instructions for him to meet her for lunch, enduring Ryudo's suspicious gaze accusations of her being a witch the whole time. She allowed herself a small grin, it was a pity that he would never learn how right he was, she would've loved to see his face.

She groaned as a new thought occurred to her. The student council president had made quite a fuss when she and Shirou had "come out" so to speak, and quite frankly it had been annoying. She could only imagine how he react to this.

She had arrived on the roof to find it empty. She mentally shrugged and sat down, it was likely Shirou had gone to buy lunch before coming to meet her.

As it turned out, she was right. He walked through the doorway carrying two packets of sandwiches and two cartons of orange juice. She accepted one of each with a modest thank you. Apparently she'd been a little too modest because he raised an eyebrow at her. She'd had to resort to a little teasing to knock him off balance.

In the end though she'd chickened out and not told him what she'd meant to. Instead she simply told him that she would walk home with him after school. He'd agreed but gave her a funny look, probably wondering why she couldn't have just told him that at the gate that morning.

Now here she was, waiting at the gates again. He probably had someone who needed his help after school but hopefully would think to come tell her first. Unfortunately she hadn't yet been able to knock _all_ the martyr out of him.

He appeared not long after she did, his school approved bag slung over his shoulder and a frown on his face, that she knew meant he was thinking something over. The sight of it made her stomach clench and she had to shut her thoughts down before they could start jumping to conclusions. It helped that he smiled upon seeing her.

"Let's go then." He said, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"Go? Don't you have any clubs you're meant help clean up, or anything?"

"Well you're my girlfriend now, so I'm supposed to put you first right?" She noticed his cheeks began to glow faintly at the word "girlfriend". Still his answer had lifted a weight of her shoulders that she hadn't even realised she was carrying. Although it was only partially true, his schedule was remarkably clear today.

"I-idiot!" she exclaimed her cheeks flaring brilliantly "Don't just say it where anyone can hear."

He quietly congratulated himself on scoring one over on her, such moments were rare.

"But that's right and don't forget, I'm your master too, so that goes double." He could tell she was suppressing a smile and possibly a giggle, as he sighed.

"Yeah, yeah." He looked straight at her, "Anyway didn't you have something to tell me?" That managed to bring back her earlier sombre attitude.

"Yes, but um…I'd rather talk about it in private. When we get to your place." She then quickly changed the subject to something less serious, there would be plenty of that later.

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><p>He heard Rin walk into the kitchen behind him, he could feel the nervous energy rolling off her. Whatever she had to tell him must be important, he felt his gut clench. His nerves had been steadily growing worse since she had stopped him at the school gates that morning, his mind conjuring up new and worse scenarios about her "news".<p>

His hands slowed in the process of drying the dish he was holding; gently he placed it in the rack and turned to face her.

Truthfully he'd been a little concerned, she'd been quite all throughout dinner, not once taking an opportunity to make a subtle jab at him. He'd even started deliberately saying stupid things, although nothing too obvious, and still there had been nothing. She seemed to have been lost in thought for most of the meal, as though she was battling with herself over something. Honestly, it had made the whole experience kind of uncomfortable; even Fuji-nee had noticed and refrained from bothering her. He'd hoped she'd tell him what was troubling her and it looked like he was about to get his wish.

The sound of the television coming from the other room told him Fuji-nee was still here. That was the reason Rin hadn't told him earlier. She'd been about to not long after they'd arrived home but then Fuji-nee had come barrelling through the front door like a force of nature, and she had been hungry.

Sakura had arrived with her and Rin had immediately gone silent. In fact now and then throughout dinner Rin had been throwing the younger girl weird glances, almost like she was worried about her. She probably thought she'd been discreet but Shirou had caught her. Sakura had been acting awkward too; in fact she had left immediately after the meal citing family business. Rin had watched her leave with an uneasy expression on her face.

Fuji-nee hadn't been nearly so accommodating. In fact she'd seemed to be reluctant to leave the two of them alone, it was almost like she didn't trust them. Given how she'd reacted when she'd found out about their relationship, that was actually a step up. Although it was still a bit of a pain but he knew she wouldn't approve. Her attempts to hook him up with Sakura were becoming more and more transparent.

"So, Rin." He said, "What did you need to talk about." He watched her take a couple of deep breaths and he made a conscious effort to keep his mind blank. The way she looked right then didn't help, she was obviously nervous and hesitant but it was different from the other times he had seen her that way. She looked…fragile, for lack of a better word. It was a look he'd never seen on her before and he couldn't say it was welcome.

There was a long period of silence before finally:

"I'm pregnant."

Suddenly he didn't need to put so much effort into keeping his mind blank. He stayed that way for a full minute before his brain slowly began to work again, like an old machine slowly winding up.

"Huh." He mumbled and saw Rin's eyebrow twitch. Oh well, at least he'd avoided the standard idiot's question, in this situation.

"Huh!" That's all you can say, huh!" She leaned in close and looked him in the eye. Still, he could hear a kind of desperation accompanying her anger.

"Sorry. I just…when?" he asked, backing away raising his hands in a defensive gesture. Although, he almost immediately knew that had been a stupid question, there was only one time it could have been.

Rin backed down and began massaging her temples; it was a couple of moments before she spoke again. To Shirou those moments seemed to stretch on into hours.

"Well the only time we did…it," she said as she stared at the floor tiles, he noticed the faint blush on her cheeks, "was during the war."

He felt the blood rush to his own cheeks at the memories of that night.

"How long…"

"Since last night."

"Oh." he watched her careful but it didn't look like she was about to explode again. "Do you want some tea?" She looked at him for a second before answering.

"Sure."

He filled the kettle with enough water for three people (Fuji-nee would be upset if she got left out) and flipped the switch; more to buy himself time to think than anything else. He turned back towards his girlfriend and licked his lips, his mouth had suddenly gone very dry.

"Have you come to any decisions yet?"

"Only that I'm keeping it." _Oh, is that all?_

"Rin, that's actually a pretty big decision." He said.

"Oh, you disagree?" she asked, coolly. He felt a chill run down his spine.

"No no." he stuttered quickly, "That's actually…I just want to know if you have a plan."

"Not really. But I'll probably have to quit school." She replied, and lower she added, "And I probably won't be able to go to the clock tower."

"I see." That must have hit her hard, he knew she'd actually been looking forward to that.

"It's not a problem. I told you before right, as a magus I don't actually have to attend school." He nodded, he remembered her saying something along those lines.

"What I want to know Shirou, is how involved you're going to be?"

"All the way." He replied without hesitation. He had no doubts over his involvement, he loved Rin and the child was his as well.

"So, what now?" he asked.

"I don't know." She mumbled.

"Well, should we move in together or something?" The look on her face told him that she hadn't even thought about that yet.

"I-I don't think the school would approve of two students living together." That was true but he didn't really care, there were more important things in life than a reputation, at least for him.

The two drifted into silence again and Shirou reflected on how staggered their conversation had been, not nearly as emotionally charged as he would have expected. Maybe it was because he knew what was important to him. After so long living exclusively for others it was easy for him to tell what he held dear. Still, there was a small part of him that was nervous, perhaps even frightened.

It was Rin who eventually broke the silence.

"Um-I'm going to make an appointment to see a doctor at some point tomorrow. You should probably come along."

"Yeah sure." He replied, "that sounds like a good idea." He didn't mention he would have insisted on going even if she didn't want him to.

Then she smiled at him, a genuine smile that contained more than a little relief. He didn't know what she had been expecting but his own mood was lightened by the sight of that smile.

"Good." She said her tone light and her body posture back to normal, although he could tell it was an act, "Well I guess this conversation's done for now, at least until after the doctor."

"Yeah." He replied. Over come by a sudden compulsion he moved himself closer to her, she looked up at him and met his gaze as he brought his head down, tilting it to the left slightly. He could see the light blush that had returned to her cheeks and could feel her breathe on his. Mere inches away from her lips he-

"Oi, what are you two doing in there?"

-stopped. Trust Fuji-nee to ruin a perfectly good moment without even realising what was going on. He looked at Rin who seemed to be just as annoyed by the interruption as he was, he sighed.

"I guess we should do it now."

"Yeah."

Together the two of them turned and walked back into the living room. There they found Taiga Fujimura sprawled, lazily next to the table.

Shirou narrowed his eyes, she probably had known what he'd been about to do in the kitchen, or at least had a pretty good guess. They'd been talking quietly, except for Rin's initial outburst, and the long period of silence had probably lead her to imagining things she didn't want to see.

Sometimes he found it depressing that he knew how her mind worked.

"Yo Shirou. What's up, you look serious? Lover's quarrel?" she asked, smiling.

_Sorry, you're out of luck Fuji-nee._

"Rin's pregnant." He replied simply. He saw his girlfriend shoot him a look out the corner of his eye, like she thought he'd gone crazy. Oh well, too late now.

The two of them watched as the grin began to slip from their teacher's face, to stop only momentarily on a neutral expression. From there it moved to shock and then into a deep frown and a fire began to rage in her eyes.

"What!"

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><p>Rin went to bed feeling decidedly lighter and more relaxed than she had the previous night. It had been quite late by the time the discussion had ended and Shirou had offered her the room she had used during the war, the one right across the hallway from his. Fujimura-sensei had protested but amazingly Shirou had managed to shoot her down, so she had insisted on taking the other guestroom and staying the night herself.<p>

Rin snorted, what was the woman trying to do? Surely the night's conversation had enlightened her on the nature of their relationship. Or rather, that she was too late to prevent anything.

Telling Shirou about their impending parenthood had taken quite the weight off her shoulders it seemed. She hadn't mentioned anything about abortion to him, as she'd already made her decision and besides from his response she could tell he would have been against it anyway. Actually she'd known before making her own decision that he would be against it.

She'd left it to him to tell Fujimura-sensei the details, well as much as he could without mentioning magecraft or the Holy Grail War anyway. She'd stepped in a couple of times when it looked like he was going to trip up (each time earning a glare from Fujimura-sensei) but he'd done a pretty good job of it. In end it just sounded like the two of them had been seeing each other secretly since February, which was true, from a certain point of view.

Fujimura-sensei had reacted pretty much the way she'd expected her to react, as Shirou's surrogate sister. First came the stunned disbelief, followed by how this must be her fault since Shirou was a good and _careful_ boy, followed by accusations that she was trying to trap him. It had taken Rin more effort than she thought it would to reign in her temper, she guessed she'd be blaming her hormones a lot for the next nine months, or seven now actually.

She'd noticed Shirou sighing discretely several times during the discussion too, mostly when their opponent had subtly (or not so subtly) insulted her. It had actually pleased her somewhat to know that he had found Fujimura-sensei's remarks just as tiresome.

In the end the tiger (Rin had secretly latched onto that name after discovering that the woman hated it) had reluctantly backed down, though she had still occasionally glared in Rin's general direction for the rest of the evening.

As she wrapped the covers snugly around her body, Rin reminded herself that it was actually a long way from over. She still had to make the appointment with the doctor tomorrow and there would be a lot of other things that she didn't know about yet. The ordeals would last seven more months (or perhaps eighteen years) but as long as she had Shirou she'd be okay. At least, that's what she liked to believe.

However at that moment she would allow herself to bask in the knowledge that for today at least everything had turned out all right.

That night she had the pleasant dreams she'd failed to have the night before.

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><p><strong>Authour's Note:<strong> Yeah, new fic! So, how did I do? Constructive critiscm is always welcome. Please read and review.


	2. More Confessions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fate/Stay Night.**  
><strong>

Chapter II – More Confessions

Rin was in what might quickly become her regular lunch spot if she wasn't careful, up on the school roof. She looked down through the railing at the other students below; even though she'd never admit it, she was a little jealous of how carefree they all seemed right now. She was by herself today because Ryuudo had asked for Shirou's help with something or other that needed mending Apparently he'd taken this to be his chance to tell the student council president what was happening, personally she didn't think it was any of the boy's business but he _was_ Shirou's best friend.

She began to massage her temples, Ryuudo would not take this well, she could only imagine the things he would say about her after this. A part of her actually felt sorry for him, it couldn't be easy when your best friend and your girlfriend didn't get along, and now he was probably going to have to stand there and listen to Ryuudo badmouth her. She felt a little guilty making him bear the brunt of his friend's shock alone, but her being there would probably only make things worse.

Once the bell had rung for lunch earlier she'd headed for the rooftop as quickly as possible, for the first time in her life Rin cursed her position as the "school idol". She'd never noticed how _everyone_ would follow her with their eyes as she walked past.

Actually, that wasn't quite true, she'd been well aware of attention she had garnered with her perfect student image; it was just, in her own mind at least, the context had changed. Right now they looked at her with adoration and admiration but what would it be like in a couple of months, when the pedestal they'd placed her on broke? When everyone found out that the perfect girl had gotten herself knocked-up and by the school doormat no less? After all, there was no way there ability to self censor the things they learned about her would extend to her suddenly acquiring a huge stomach. Not that it mattered to her, she wouldn't be here. She already had a plan, during homeroom she would arrange to meet with her homeroom teacher after school and then she would acquire the necessary paperwork and drop out. Yes, she was dropping out of high school, she didn't need it for her chosen career and it would be one less worry on her mind.

It had been a couple of days since their talk with Fujimura-sensei and the woman had settled down, at least a little. She still sent dark looks her way over dinner, although to her credit she didn't bring her animosity with her to school and treated Tohsaka the same as any other student during English classes. Not that she wasn't doing her very best to be a pain in the arse at home. Rin had made the decision to stay at Shriou's place for the next few days so they could discuss their situation and upon hearing this the older woman had also decided to stay. This had made it difficult to get any privacy and if they visited each others rooms the teacher just about freaked out. Rin sighed, Fujimura-sensei could be such a child sometimes.

Besides which, there was really only one person, aside from Shirou, whom she would like to remain in contact with, if possible (well two but even _establishing_ proper contact with the other could prove problematic). She'd have to try and speak with her before the end of the day…

"Hey Tohsaka!"

…or now.

"Ayako!"

"Yeah, it's me and what's with the "Ayako"?"

"What are you doing here? You don't normally come up here."

"You've looked kind of tense all day and yesterday you were off in your own little world. I just thought I'd make sure you were all right."

"But how did you know I was up here?"

"Emiya told me."

Rin sighed again, of course he did. Idiot was probably worrying about her, even though there was nothing to worry about. Despite her words she felt a little warmth sweep through her and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Stupid, dependable idiot, sometimes she didn't now whether she wanted to hug him or strangle him.

"So, are you and Emiya friends now?" Ayako continued, "Because he sounded concerned. Of course, it could just be Emiya being Emiya but it sounded like there was more to it."

Crap, she hadn't prepared for this yet, how was she supposed to explain this to the person who was nominally her best friend? Actually, Ayako the only person at school who she even approached being actual friends with, even if they did having something of a rivalry going. And when had the archery club captain become so perceptive? Rin swore the universe must have given the other girl the ability recently just to screw with her. Then she got an idea:

"Actually," she said, trying to regain her usual mask of composure, despite the fact that it was clearly too late, "It's good you're here Mitsuzuri-san. I wanted to talk to you." The brunette raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh really, what about?" Ayako replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you remember our little bet?" Rin asked, putting on a smile she didn't really feel, "I win!"

"Bet…what?" The look on Ayako's face was enough to make Rin feel a little better. Certainly, it was a very entertaining expression.

"That's right."

"Who?" her friend asked, in a tone that almost sounded demanding. Apparently Ayako's level of perceptiveness varied depending on what would inconvenience Rin the most.

As it turned out, creating that little lead-in didn't actually make her confession any easier and she hadn't even reached the main part yet. When she opened her mouth she had to fight to keep herself from stuttering. Even then she couldn't keep her voice level and almost mumbled her reply.

"Emiya Shirou." Ayako seemed to freeze for a moment before speaking again.

"Emiya…you mean _that_ Emiya Shirou?"

"Y-yeah. You don't have to sound so shocked by it," Rin huffed

"Sorry but I didn't think he'd be your type. The rest of the school sees him as a complete doormat," her friend replied.

"I know but he's also really dependable and determined though it might be closer to stubborn, he's stronger than her looks too and…" she trailed off at the huge smirk Ayako was sending her way. Only belatedly realising the mistake she'd made in trying to defend her boyfriend.

"Geez Tohsaka, you've got it bad."

"I-I, shut up!" Rin stuttered, she could feel the colour rushing to her cheeks, any thoughts on her image had completely disappeared by this point. This only caused Ayako to chuckle at her embarrassment.

"This is good, I don't think I've seen this side of you before Tohsaka. But, I really lost huh?"

"Yes you did," Rin replied.

"So what is it you want me to do?"

"Hm, let me think about it for a day or two and I'll get back to you," she said, finishing with her best evil chuckle.

"Hah, you'll have to try better than that to scare me Tohsaka!" A companionable silence drifted over the two of them, only to be broken when Rin decided she couldn't put her confession off any longer.

"There's something else as well." She said.

"What? Don't tell me you and Emiya have already done it?" her tone was light and teasing but Rin's face went as red as her favourite jumper and Ayako's eyes went wide.

"S-seriously Tohsaka?" Ayako's grin was almost evil, "You make the other students think you're all prim and proper but what if they knew you put out on a first date?"

"Sh-Shut up! Shirou and I have been going out for a while!" she tried to be as vague as possible, not really wanting to tell her friend that the two had had sex before they'd actually started dating. Especially since there was no way she could make that sound good without telling her something she shouldn't.

"Oh, so why am I only just hearing about this?"

"I didn't want to tell everyone right away," Rin mumbled. Damn it! When had Ayako got so good at embarrassing her? "Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"So, what it is then?"

"I-I'm dropping out of school." She sighed mentally; it was a simple sentence, why couldn't she just say it? Now Ayako was going to draw the wrong conclusion. There was a second of ominous silence before Ayako replied with a low cry of disbelief.

"Toh-Tohsaka? Just because you have a boyfriend, school's still important!"

"I-I know that! That's not the reason!"

"Then why?"

"I'm pregnant!" There was a long moment of silence where Ayako just looked at her, seemingly dumbstruck Rin prepared herself for another, louder shriek of disbelief but it never came. Instead her friend merely dropped her head into the palm of her hand; wait, did that mean Ayako had just facepalmed at her?

"Pregnant, huh?" she sighed, "Geez Tohsaka, the challenge was to get a boyfriend not a family." Rin stayed silent, not really sure how to respond.

"So, does Emiya know?"

"Y-Yeah, I told him. He said he'd stick around."

"Well, that was a given," Ayako replied, "Emiya's probably the only guy in school who would. Well if that's the case, I guess it can't be helped."

"Yeah." Rin replied, and after a moment's silence she continued, "But I think I've come up with what I want as a prize," she smiled in a way that was genuine and a little mischievous.

"Oh, already? What is it?"

"Well, I don't have anyone else to throw me a baby shower."

"A baby shower?"

"Well baby stuff's expensive. You don't want to back out of our bet do you?"

"Fine, fine. You're high-maintenance Tohsaka, I already feel sorry for Emiya."

"Rin."

"What?" asked Ayako, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I just trusted you with a massive secret and you're throwing my baby shower. So just call me Rin."

"I see. Well, if I'm gonna be doing that, I guess you should call me Ayako." That said the two of them once again fell into a companionable silence.

* * *

><p>Shirou finished putting away the last of his tools and rose to his feet, he threw his arms out wide and stretched. He felt something click in his spine and groaned in satisfaction, it was amazing how being hunched over a table for twenty minutes could do a number on your back. He looked across the room and found his best friend still sitting at the same desk as before with a book open in front of him. Shirou frowned, he'd been planning to use this as an opportunity to tell Issei what was going on but he hadn't been able to and now lunch was almost over.<p>

He'd wanted to his lunch with Rin but hadn't because when Issei had asked he had thought it the perfect opportunity. Fortunately he'd met Mitsuzuri who'd seemed worried about her, so he'd pointed her in the right direction. He wondered what those two were talking about…

If he was honest with himself, Shirou knew the reason he hesitated to tell Issei was because of how his friend felt about Rin. He knew she could be cutting and brutally honest at times but he still thought the student council president's reactions were a bit much. Issei had once told him that she'd made one of the other student council members cry; recently Shirou had been thinking that whoever it was needed to toughen up. If you can't take criticism then you really shouldn't put yourself in a position where you receive a lot of it. Besides, he'd been on the receiving end of Rin's wrath and sense of humour more than once and neither were _that_ bad.

Still, he needed to tell Issei the truth and there was no better time than now. He definitely wouldn't like it but he would find out eventually and Shirou thought he'd be hurt that he hadn't told him personally. So taking a deep breath he decided to attempt to start a conversation.

"Hey, Issei," he called.

"Oh Emiya, you're finished?" he replied, "Well we still have ten minutes left, but maybe we should start heading back to our classrooms anyway?"

"In a minute, there's something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Well, it's kind of personal," Shirou began scratching the back of his head, he could feel the tension mounting in his stomach, "But I thought you should hear it from me rather than everyone else."

"I appreciate the consideration Emiya; although you are making me rather nervous."

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad, I just have a girlfriend now." His friend seemed to pause for a second before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and replying.

"I see, then I suppose congratulations on in order. May I ask who it is?" he sounded friendly enough but…

"Rin Tohsaka," Shirou replied hurriedly, his mouth went dry as he saw Issei become very still. He had a bad feeling that his worst fears were about to be realised.

"Hmph," Issei snorted, "So the witch managed to get her hooks into you after all."

"Please don't call her that."

"I recant my earlier statement. You have my commiserations Emiya."

"Don't say things like that!" Shirou almost felt like hitting his friend, "Besides, there's more."

"You mean there's worse?" Issei sighed, "Very well, I suppose you should tell me."

"Rin's pregnant." He said and saw his friend go abnormally still once more. His instincts were suddenly screaming at him that some sort of minor disaster was imminent. Finally Issei spoke again.

"I see…" he said, rising from his seat and heading towards the door. Gripped by a sudden insight, Shirou reached out and grasped his friend around the wrist.

"Issei! Please don't try confronting Rin about this." In response the other man simply wrenched his hand from Shirou's grip and continued to walk towards the exit.

"Issei!"

"Thank you for your help today, Emiya-san," he said as he left the room, all but slamming the door behind him. Shirou just stood there, staring at the spot where his friend had been.

* * *

><p>Rin eyed her boyfriend worriedly as the two of them headed home from school. The two hadn't tried to hide it this time and many of the students had stared and whispered as they met up at the shoe locker and then walked out together. Actually she'd been surprised there had been that many students left as she'd spent a good ten minutes speaking with her homeroom teacher; that said however, she didn't think that was the problem. She seen him coming back from lunch and he'd looked a little down then. His expression hadn't changed after classes had finished but he had made the effort to smile upon seeing her. The only thing she could think of was that his talk with Ryuudo must have gone worse than they expected. The idea made her wince internally; she'd already been expecting it to go pretty bad. The two walked along in silence before finally she could take no more of his brooding.<p>

"Shirou…are you alright?" she asked, it was a dumb question but she didn't know how else to begin.

"What? Oh, I'm fine." He replied, an obvious lie.

"Well, you can talk to me. You know, if you need to."

"It's okay, really, I'll be alright." She could tell the smile he gave her was forced but she decided to let it go for now. Instead, she decided she'd try and take his mind off of whatever had happened.

"Good because contrary to popular belief, not all girls like their boyfriends to be all broody and sulky," she poked him in the side.

"I'll keep that in mind," he responded, trying to bat her hand away.

"You better. Because I'm not going to let you close me out."

"Of course. I could never match the great Rin Tohsaka in a battle of wits after all." Even though his words were dripping with sarcasm, Rin still smiled.

"Hmph, and don't you forget it!" The atmosphere between them felt a lot more comfortable now and Rin almost lost herself in her thoughts about how nice it felt before Shirou spoke again.

"Rin, have you made an appointment with a doctor yet." She almost felt like slapping herself in the face, that should have been one of the first things she'd done.

"I-er forgot," she responded, her voice barely more than a whisper. She could actually feel the repressed amusement coming from her boyfriend. It galled her that it was at her expense but at least it was better than his depression from five minutes ago.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to take care of that when we get home. Ah, that's right, Mitsuzuri was looking for you at lunch."

"Yes," Rin answered, "And she found me because some one thought I couldn't take care of myself," she was only teasing but he didn't take the bait.

"So I guess she knows now?"

"Yeah. She seemed fine with it. In fact she's going to throw me a baby shower." She noticed the look he gave her but he seemed to restrain himself. Hmm, so he was learning after all.

"Really? So did you two talk about anything else?"

Rin's face turned a shade of crimson that matched her coat. She and Ayako had talked for a while after she'd told the other girl the truth and it had been rather nice. But then Ayako had begun asking her question about her relationship with Shirou, and some of those questions had been very personal indeed.

"Rin?"

"It was nothing, nothing. Just girl talk, so keep your nose out idiot!" With that she stormed off to walk ahead, leaving Shirou to trail behind and wonder what exactly he had said wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Chapter two up!

Really struggled with wrting Issei this chapter. I know he really doesn't like Rin, that much is made obvious in the original story; the problem is most (if not all) of his reactions towards her in the VN are played for comedy and the over the top routine wouldn't have fit here.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it. Until next time.


	3. Reality Intrudes

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fate/Stay Night.**  
><strong>

**Chapter III – Reality Intrudes**

Rin felt like biting her nails as she sat in the waiting area in the doctor's office, it was something she'd didn't really do and she had desire to start the habit now, so she forced herself not to. Instead she subconsciously bit her bottom lip. In front of her she held open a magazine and although she was staring straight at it, she wasn't really reading it, in fact she hadn't turned the page since she'd opened it. Mostly the only reason she'd picked it up off of the little table in the first place was so that it didn't look like she was doing what she actually was doing, worrying. She didn't even know what it was called or what it was about.

On the chair next to her sat Shirou, who was also reading through a magazine, his one appeared to be about cooking and Rin couldn't help but snort when she noticed it. She also noticed the slight twitch of his eyebrow that told her he had heard her laughter but was determined not to give her the satisfaction of responding. Unlike his girlfriend he actually seemed to be reading his, she could see his eyes were actually scanning along the page. When she had made the appointment he had insisted on coming with her and she'd given in almost immediately, he could be incredibly stubborn sometimes; and truth be told, she hadn't wanted to go by herself anyway. She'd had to put up a little fight purely on principle, she couldn't have him thinking she was going soft. Although his apparent lack of discomfort unnerved her, wasn't he supposed to the awkward one out of the two of them? In fact the way he was sitting seemingly unconcerned reminded her very slightly of Archer, she found the similarity quite disconcerting but forced it to the back of her mind. A small voice in the back of her head said she hoped he never developed his future self's ability to play her like a flute. Another voice replied that he should already know where to put his mouth to get her to sing; she quickly clamped down on that thought and the accompanying mental images, this was not the place to be thinking about such things.

She'd been having such thoughts quite a bit lately, she put it down to the the hormones and not that she was just becoming a massive pervert now that she had a romantic life. Although in either case that book she'd been reading the other night had successfully managed to subdue her libido for a little while. It had been one of those trashy romance novels, the type that usually came with about half a dozen "romance" scenes, she'd put it down not even halfway through the first such chapter. While the story itself had been alright, the author's choice of metaphors for such scenes had been somewhat questionable. Come on, molluscs…seriously? She'd never look at sea food the same way again.

Feeling the seconds pass by achingly slowly and hearing the ticking of the clock, Rin finally gave in to her impatience and discreetly poked her boyfriend in the side; to his credit he did not flinch … much. If they weren't in public she'd have made another attempt, she narrowed her eyes at him and from the way he suddenly swallowed she guessed he'd noticed, good. She'd just have to wait until they were alone together. In a purposefully slow manner that she knew he was doing in revenge for poking him in the side and laughing at him, he closed his magazine and placed it back on the table.

"You want something?" he asked, in that hushed tone reserved for libraries and waiting rooms.

"How can you be so calm?" she replied, in that same quiet voice.

"Well, there's nothing really worth getting worked up over."

"Nothing worth getting…?!" she struggled to keep her voice quiet, "What we hear in there could change everything!"

"Really, I thought you'd made your decision?"

She dropped her head into the palm of her hand, he was right; as long as it was healthy then she was having this baby no matter what. And wasn't she supposed to be the more rational of the two of them? She sighed, it always had been all too easy to fluster her when she herself was at the centre of events. However she also understood something else, he was just as worried as she was he was merely internalising everything. She narrowed her eyes and was about to say something when the door to the doctor's office opened and a feminine voice called:

"Tohsaka-san?"

Rin got to her feet and felt Shirou do the same beside her. She dropped her magazine back down on the table and together the two of them went into the next room.

The arrangement of the office was simple; there was the desk and on top of it a computer. In front of the desk were two chairs for patients and behind the desk was the seat for the doctor, and behind her were shelves filled with thick-looking books. There were also shelves and draws lined up along the edges of the room. The doctor herself was a woman who at a guess, Rin would have placed in her late twenties or early thirties. Her black-rimmed glasses and black hair pulled back into a ponytail served to give her a quite severe look. She looked professional enough to ease her nerves very slightly anyway as she and Shirou took their seats.

"Hello Tohsaka-san, I am Doctor Kazama and you are?" she asked, looking straight at Shirou.

"I'm Emiya Shirou," Rin heard him reply, "I'm…" he seemed unsure what he wanted to say next.

"He's the father," Rin answered for him, actually feeling glad to see Shirou display at least a little nervousness.

"I see." Doctor Kazama responded. Perhaps it was Rin's imagination but she thought the doctor gave Shirou a pointed stare for a brief second but then she turned back to her and got straight down to business.

"So Tohsaka-san, when was your last period?"

"Um, a little over two months ago," Rin replied, quieter than she would have liked.

"And when did you discover you were pregnant?"

"…Three days ago," Rin responded in an even quieter voice. The doctor simply stared at her for a moment.

"I see…" the doctor said, staring at her for a moment and raising an eyebrow. " You used a home pregnancy test?"

"Yes."

"Very well. However, I am going to have to ask you take another test here just to confirm." At this point she stood and went over to one of the draws. When she returned she placed a small bottle on her desk. "You may you use the restroom in the hallway when we are done here, and hand the sample to the receptionist."

Rin could feel herself turning red. What the hell?! Why couldn't she do this at home, why did she have to do it here? And handing it in at the reception desk, with all those people around? She wondered if Shirou was feeling as uncomfortable as she was and forced herself to not to look at him, making an effort to regain her composure and return her attention to what the doctor was saying.

"Now at this point the option of abortion is still open to – "

"No," Rin interrupted.

"Pardon me?"

"We've already decided that we're going to have this baby," she answered. This time determinedly not staring at Shirou for decidedly different reasons.

"This isn't a decision to be made lightly," the doctor responded, fixing Rin with a firm stare.

"I know. I've thought about this thoroughly." And hadn't she just, she'd even lost sleep over it.

"This is an important, life-altering decision," Doctor Kazama said. "You shouldn't feel pressured in to making such an important decision so quickly." As she spoke the doctor's gaze shifted momentarily to Shirou and Rin's own eyes narrowed dangerously. She hoped this doctor wasn't insinuating what Rin thought she was insinuating. Shirou wasn't that type of person and Rin was quite capable of making her own decisions, thank you very much!

"I've made my decision," Rin stated with as much finality as she could muster.

Doctor Kazama sighed in response.

"Very well," the doctor replied as she reached over into one of the draws on her desk and produced a pink leaflet. "Then we'll to go over some things; first when you bathe do so in _warm_ water, hot water will be bad for the baby. Secondly no alcohol, though I doubt either of you are old enough for that."

"Well, neither of us drink," Rin tried to interrupt but the doctor continued on as if she hadn't heard.

"Some studies state that up to a certain amount of alcohol is okay, however it would be better to play it safe and cut out the drink completely."

"What about…exercise?" Rin asked, figuring that would be as close as she could get to what she really wanted to ask.

"How often do you exercise?"

"Um, every day."

"I see, well as long as it isn't anything too strenuous then it should be alright for now. Although obviously, that is going to have to change as you continue along…"

Rin settled back in her seat, she got the feeling this was going to be a long appointment.

* * *

><p>Despite the morning sickness, the argument with Fujimura-sensei and her doctor jumping to conclusions, Rin couldn't help the nagging feeling that she'd had things too easy so far. The morning after her visit to the doctor proved her right.<p>

She should've known something was up really; everyone had been staring at her since she'd entered the school grounds that morning. Not that that was unusual exactly, she knew she was good-looking and having crafted herself a reputation as the "school idol" she was quiet used to the other members of the student body paying attention to her. It was a natural part of school life for her.

However that morning had been different, she'd felt like there was something strange going on almost immediately but her mind had been focused on her upcoming hospital visit and she hadn't noticed anything until she'd take her seat in the classroom. The students were glancing at her and then looking away when they realized she'd noticed them but they weren't the admiring glances she was used to. No, the eyes watching her were curious, conspiring, shocked and some were even…disapproving. And the looks were accompanied by hushed voices and the ones talking raised their hands over their mouths, as if that would hide what they were doing. It all added up to one thing, they were gossiping, spreading rumours, about _her_!

When she'd realised this she had felt her eyes narrow dangerously and the unfortunate girl she just happened to be looking at had frozen in place and begun shaking. She had been about to go over and speak to the girl, to ask what was being said about her and by whom. However, before she could begin her interrogation and begin to formulate a plan for retribution, the homeroom teacher had entered.

And so she had been forced to spend hours with other students stealing glances at her when the teacher wasn't looking. She wondered what the rumour was and who it had been started by. Perhaps it had been Ryuudo, he'd never liked her, or maybe it had been Shinji? She hadn't really notice him hanging around much since the end of the war.

When the lunch bell rang she packed her things away quickly and went to leave the classroom, eager to get to the bottom of this. Only a voice she recognised to call out to her almost straight away.

"Oi, Tohsaka!"

She spun around and found Ayako, striding towards her from the direction of her own classroom. As she stood there waiting for her friend to reach her, she noticed the others students resume their whispered conversations. It was unbelievable just how annoying it actually was.

"Mitsuzuri?"

"Tohsaka, we need to talk," Ayako replied.

* * *

><p>Shirou had a very bad feeling, actually it was more like a premonition of impending doom.<p>

The student rumour mill had been exceptionally active when he'd arrived at school that morning. As usual though he'd paid no attention to the latest gossip doing the rounds, he really had no interest in who was dating who, who'd lost too much weight or who had the right "look". That was until he'd heard Rin's name mentioned, that had most certainly caught his attention. He'd tried to listen in then on what a nearby group of schoolgirls were saying but that had been the moment Fuji-nee had entered the room and everyone had shut up.

Now it was lunchtime and he was determined to try and find out what was being said, he packed his bag and left the room, only to find someone he didn't expect waiting for him. Leaning against the wall opposite the door was Shinji Matou. He wasn't surrounded by the usual gaggle of female students like he once had been, in fact ever since he had returned to school Shirou thought he had looked rather melancholy and introspective. The arrogant pride with which he used to carry himself was almost completely gone, leaving him seeming greatly diminished. As soon as his once-best friend saw him he motioned him over and out of curiosity Shirou obliged.

"Yo, Emiya," Shinji began. "I guess congratulations are in order."

Shirou froze in his tracks, that one sentence had set off a multitude of alarm bells in his head.

"What are you talking about Shinji?"

"Well I heard you're about to be a father, or at least the word is that Tohsaka's pregnant."

Shirou's blood froze in his veins, how the hell did Shinji know about that?

"Funny thing is none of the rumours actually mention you, so no one knows you're the father," Shinji continued, apparently oblivious to Shirou's discomfort. "Then again I'm one of the few that knows you and Tohsaka spend a lot of time together and even I didn't figure out you were actually dating until I heard this; and I didn't really believe it until I saw your reaction just now. Not to mention to the regular students Tohsaka's always seemed so far above everyone else," he stopped and turned to face Shirou. "That's what's made this rumour so popular, the idea that some guy managed to get the untouchable Tohsaka Rin into bed and managed to knock her up."

Shirou frowned.

"Do you have to put it like that Shinji?"

"That's the way everyone else is saying it, they have cruder things to say about it too. It's kind of a minor scandal," his former friend replied with a shrug, before turning and beginning to walk away. "Anyway, congratulations again Emiya."

As Shirou watched him walk away he briefly wondered why Shinji had bothered to tell him all this, it almost seemed like a warning but he'd delivered it such a rough way. He shook his head, he had more important things to worry about right now, like how the hell the student body had found out Rin was pregnant. He was almost certain that no-one knew they were dating, the only ones they had told were Ayako and Issei and he was pretty sure they wouldn't have told anyone.

Except that was quite true, was it. He wanted to deny it but the other day when he'd told Issei, his friend had been incredibly cold and he couldn't think of a more likely leak. The thought actually caused him to feel a little hollow and Shirou felt his stomach tie itself into a small knot of guilt, if Issei had been the one to start this rumour then it was his fault. He was the one who had insisted on telling the student council president despite Rin's protests.

At the same time he felt his blood boil. He had told Issei that in confidence because he was his best friend and it had seemed like the right thing to do. No matter how upset he knew the other man had been or how much he might dislike Rin, there was a part of Shirou that couldn't help but view this as a betrayal. If anything his anger was only enhanced by the fact that Rin was the target of this attack.

Damn it! There had to be something he could do about this. His first thought was to go and find Rin, he knew she'd probably be up on the roof at this time but that wouldn't really solve anything. What he needed was someone who could help him squash these rumours, someone who could put the students back in line. Normally Tohsaka would be perfectly capable of that but given the circumstances… What he needed was someone with a position of authority…

Suddenly an idea came to him and he began a determined march towards the staff room. Fuji-nee always insisted that she was his big sister; well in that case it was time for her to act like one.

* * *

><p>After the final bell Shirou waited at the school gates feeling equal parts annoyance and trepidation. The annoyance was because Fuji-nee had been stubborn when he tried to convince her to help him put a stop to the rumours. He didn't think she was being deliberately nasty about it just very immature, she was acting like a child who was being told she had to share when she didn't want to.<p>

The trepidation was because by the time he'd finished talking to Fuji-nee lunch had just about been over and as such he hadn't seen his girlfriend all day. He knew Rin was more perceptive than he was, there was no way she could have missed rumours flying around about her and he feared what sort of mood she'd be in, when she was depressed or upset she had a habit of defaulting to anger. Not that he thought she try to harm him physically, he just didn't like the thought of her upset, especially if it was his fault.

He glanced at his watch, he'd been waiting by the gate a full fifteen minutes by this point but the time had passed quickly due to being lost in his own thoughts. Honestly he understood why she hadn't met him earlier, with the current situation the two of them being seen walking home together probably wouldn't be good. He just hoped she hadn't managed to slip out and go home ahead of him.

Just as he thought this he saw the front door of the school opening and a figure in a red coat walk out. He felt his stomach tighten a little more; she normally walked straight-backed and proud but right now her posture seemed very stiff. As she drew closer he could see that her eyes were emotionless and her face was in a carefully schooled neutral expression. When she was close enough he greeted her and she brought her gaze up to face him.

"Shirou…" she said and he felt his blood freeze. It was a decent enough impersonation of her usual, conversational tone of voice but he knew her well enough by this point to detect the undercurrent of ice.

"Shirou," she repeated. "What exactly did Ryuudo-kun say yesterday when you told him about us?"

Ah, so she'd figured it out too, he supposed he shouldn't be surprised; she was brighter than he was after all. He hoped when their child was born he inherited his mother's intelligence. When he didn't answer right away she raised an eyebrow at him, causing him to unconsciously begin scratching at the back of his head.

"Ah, he was a little … upset?"

"And?"

"And … I had to forbid him from going to confront you," he admitted.

"I see," she replied but said no more. Instead she simply walked out of the school grounds and began her journey home, heading in the direction of his house rather than her own.

* * *

><p>It was late but Rin couldn't sleep, instead she sat out on the veranda simply staring up at the sky, it was a full moon tonight. It was spring again but the air wasn't too warm yet and there weren't any mosquitos either.<p>

She was trying to convince herself that she wasn't upset and failing miserably. After her conversation she with Ayako that afternoon she had paid more attention to the whispers going around the school and had been unable to block them out even if when she'd wanted to. The students hadn't been very kind to her with what they said, she had caught the words "whore", "slut" and "easy" being said more than once; it was a far cry from the pedestal they had once put her on. Still, it was nothing to be upset about, how could she be the head of the Tohsaka family if she let the nonsensical prattle of a bunch of idiot schoolgirls bother her?

Even so, as much as she denied it, she could feel her eyes burning and the wetness on her cheeks.

Shirou hadn't said much that afternoon, even when they'd gotten home. She been grateful that he hadn't tried to offer her any empty words of comfort, his actions however spoke plenty. Dinner had been her favourite and she'd found a cup of her favourite tea on her bedside table after she'd returned from her evening bath. The loveable idiot.

She'd gone to bed the same time as Shirou and Fujimura-sensei but had done nothing but toss and turn for a whole hour, and so had come out here for some air. As usual the way the Emiya house opened itself up to the outside managed to soothe her but couldn't completely remove her melancholy.

Slowly she rose back to her feet and headed towards her room, wiping absently at her tears as she did.

In her depression she didn't notice Fujimura Taiga watching her from the shadows. After a moment and with an unusually thoughtful expression on her face the older woman also made her way back to bed.

* * *

><p>Chapter three, complete!<p> 


	4. A friend

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fate/Stay Night/

**Chapter IV - **A friend

Ayako was surprised when her arrow actually hit the target. Normally it wouldn't be that much of a shock, she was the captain of the archery club after all. However, right now she was too distracted to concentrate properly and the source of her distraction was a group of club members nearby, who were gossiping when they should be _practising_. Usually she'd be able to ignore their chattering but given what they were talking about, she was finding it difficult not to listen in. What made it worse was that they were third years; you'd think they would know better.

"Man, I can't believe Tohsaka was really that sort of girl," said a definitely male voice.

"The ones that think they're better than everyone else usually are," replied a girl, who was trying to sound like she had a lifetimes worth of experience.

"But still, Emiya of all people?" said another guy. "What the hell makes him so special?"

For one angry moment, Ayako wanted nothing more than to go over there and swat each of them on the back of the head. She'd been listening to this crap almost from the moment she had set foot in the dojo.

"Shouldn't you get back to practicing?" she asked instead, turning to face them and managing to keep her voice calm and level.

They looked at her for a split second in a way that was slightly disturbing, before one of the girls spoke:

"Come to think of it, you're friends with Tohsaka, aren't you, captain?"

Ayako hesitated, just where was she going with this?

"Seriously?" asked one of the guys.

"Yeah," the girl replied. "I've seen them hanging out during lunch sometimes."

"Y'know," said one of the guys. "I've seen her hanging out with Emiya too, sometimes."

"So that's the kind of company the captain keeps," said another girl, with ill-disguised disdain.

For a moment Ayako wanted to remind them that she was also the one who decided who got one the team as well. The club advisor had to approve and sign off on it, but it was her who actually picked the members. Fortunately, she managed to master herself, they were already questioning her integrity apparently and she didn't want to give them any extra ammo.

"Hmm?" another voice cut-in. "What's everyone standing around for?"

Ayako turned and found the woman she had just been thinking about walking towards them. She sighed discreetly; she'd never been relieved to see Fujimura-sensei before.

"Are we talking about something interesting?" she asked. Despite her words, there was an edge in her voice and a glint in her eye that suggested she already knew and that she was displeased.

"Ah, n-nothing much," one of the boys stuttered.

"Well then," Fujimura-sensei responded, the edge in her voice slightly more pronounced. "I think everyone should get back to practicing, don't you?"

Immediately there was a chorus of assent, before the group broke apart and assumed their positions on the range.

"Thanks, Fujimura-sensei," she said.

"Don't worry about it," the older woman waved it off.

After a second, Ayako decided to quickly check up on the other club members before going back to practicing. She felt like she needed to calm down a little before she picked up her bow again.

She spent a few minutes observing the other members of the club, paying particular attention to the first year members who had just joined. Just as she finished offering one of the new girls some advice on her stance, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Standing against the far wall, apparently enjoying a brief rest, was Sakura Matou. After a small moment of thought Ayako handed the rubber practice bow back to the first year and instructed her to keep practicing, then walked over towards the second year student.

Ayako thought that something had been off with her underclassman recently and she had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what it was. Sakura was usually quite good at hiding her emotions, but this was something that Ayako had been on the look out for ever since the rest of the student body had found out about Rin and Shirou.

"Hey, Sakura," she said, trying to sound cheerful. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Mitsuzuri-sempai," she replied, smiling.

Ayako simply stood there for a moment, feeling awkward. She knew what she wanted to ask but was unsure of how to broach the subject; to be honest, it felt like she'd be prying. On the other hand it seemed like she was the only friend Emiya and Rin had right now, and given all the nonsense that had been flying around about them… Well, she thought it would be best to get a clear idea of where people stood.

Man, she hoped Emiya wasn't beginning to rub off on her.

After a few seconds of standing there in silence, she decided the best approach was the direct approach.

"So," she began. "I guess you heard about Tohsaka and Emiya?"

There was a definite stiffening of Sakura's shoulders, but to Ayako's relief, the girl relaxed fairly quickly. Her underclassman looked up at her with a gentle smile on her face, but Ayako thought it looked rather strained.

"Yeah," she confirmed.

"Seems kind of sudden, doesn't it?"

"Yes, especially with Tohsaka-sempai living in Emiya-kuns house."

Ayako nearly choked on air.

"W-wait," she spluttered, managing to keep her voice low. "Rin and Emiya are _living together_." Rin had not mentioned that part!

Sakura's face turned bright red.

"I-I went to Emiya-kuns house with Fujimura-sensei a few days ago," she explained. "Tohsaka-sempai was there … and that's how I found out."

Ayako had to suppress a groan; she could only imagine how awkward that gathering had been. It must have been really uncomfortable for Rin and Emiya, and she could only imagine how Sakura had felt. The younger girl's crush of Emiya had been kind of obvious, at least to her and she was pretty sure that Sakura knew that she knew.

Her concern must have shown on her face, because Sakura almost immediately insisted:

"I-I'm fine Mitsuzuri-sempai, really." Once again, that gentle smile had returned. "It was a little shocking at first but I've already gotten used to it. And I'm happy for them."

"Really?" Ayako asked, and received a firm nod in return. "Ah, well then you're a stronger person than most give you credit for Sakura-chan. But if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here, okay?"

Sakura blushed again, Ayako smiled at her, and then rose to her feet.

Looked like she been wrong to worry, she thought as she strolled back over to the archery range. Sakura just wasn't the type of girl to stay angry or hold a grudge; she was far too nice for that. She'd meant what she said about Sakura being strong too, in the same situation, Ayako had no idea how she would react.

She lifted her bow, nocked an arrow and after a moment to get her breathing right, released it. She could feel a small grin come to her lips as it hit the target dead centre.

Heh, maybe she'd catch up to Emiya after all.

* * *

><p>The next day was a Sunday, but although there was no school, Ayako was still up early. Her feet pounded pavement as she did her regular morning jog through town, her water bottle clasped in her right hand. Her breath came heavy and hard, and her muscles were just starting to burn, just like she liked it. Despite the energy she expended, exercising like this always made her feel invigorated. Not to mention, it helped her work out some of the frustration she still felt over the gossiping idiots from yesterday.<p>

Eventually she came to a rest near the river, staring down at the water as she took a sip from her bottle. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with air and let it go slowly as she felt the warm, spring sun on her face. She absolutely refused to let jerks like that get under her skin, let them question her integrity all they wanted. It was funny in a sad way, Sakura was apparently fine with it but the ones who had nothing to do with the situation were getting worked up over it.

After five minutes she started moving again, going back the way she had come. As she was passing by the shopping district she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. There was a shop with a blue sign, a picture of a woman with a child in the window and a load of baby products on display. She paused and after a moments thought, walked towards the building. She had a bit of time before she had to do Rin's baby shower, but it never hurt to get an early start.

As she entered she was met with a blast of cool air from the air conditioner above the door. She stepped towards the aisle, with absolutely no idea where to start. Well, the baby would need somewhere to sleep, right? So with that in mind she sought out the cribs.

It took her about five minutes but she eventually found them. There was a sign nearby that said something about them coming in different types, but they all seemed pretty much the same to her. She walked over to one to take a look at the price and raised an eyebrow; it seemed a little … steep. She found the same thing as she wandered around the rest of the shop, that most of what was on offer was a little overpriced.

As she stepped back out on to the street her shoulders heaved in a sigh, Rin had definitely been thinking straight when she had named her forfeit. She had not been kidding when she'd said that baby stuff was expensive, whoever had come up with the concept of a "baby shower" had definitely been on to something.

It was then that she spotted a familiar red-headed boy on the other side of the street, and she jogged over to meet him.

"Hey, Emiya," she said, as she approached.

"Eh, Mitsuzuri?"

"Yep," she replied. "What are you doing out so early in the morning?"

"Ah, just a little early shopping," he answered, lifting one hand so she could the plastic bag he was carrying. "What about you?"

"Just getting a little exercise," she said, with a shrug. Then she grinned. "So, I hear Rin's staying at your place now," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

She was rewarded with the sight a red tint appearing on his cheeks.

"Ah, yeah," he said, scratching at the back of his head with his free hand. "She's been staying over recently."

"Is she there now?"

"Yeah," he responded. "But she's probably still in bed."

"Still in bed? Was last night that exhausting?" she asked, lacing some innuendo in to her voice.

The hint of red in Emiya's cheeks blossomed in to scarlet.

"What? No, it's nothing like that! It's just that Rin's not really a morning person," he exclaimed, scowling at her.

"Sorry, sorry," she responded, holding up her hands barely holding in her laugh. "So she has trouble getting up in the morning?"

Oh, this was too good.

"Yeah, she'd probably sleep in until noon if she could," he answered, then froze. "Don't tell her I said that."

Ayako gave an exaggerated sigh.

"I don't know Emiya, that's a pretty big secret. I might need something to make sure I remember to keep it."

He looked at her long and hard for a minute before responding.

"I'm not rejoining the archery club Mitsuzuri."

"Can't blame me for trying, right?" she replied. In truth she hadn't been all that serious about it this time anyway, he had bigger things to worry about right now.

"So, Rin's really staying at your place?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Would it be okay if I came over then?"

He blinked.

"Sure, just give us some time to have breakfast first," he answered.

"No problem," she replied. "I have to go home and change first anyway. See you later, Emiya," she added, waving at him as she began to jog back in the direction of her apartment.


End file.
